OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Category: Irish Saints

  • Saint Muicin of Moyne, March 4

    March 4 is the commemoration of Saint Muicin of Moyne.  The 17th-century hagiologist, Father John Colgan, was convinced that Saint Muicin of Moyne was a disciple of Saint Patrick. This view, however, was not without its own difficulties, as Canon O’Hanlon explains:

    ST. MUKNA, MUICIN, OR MUKINUS, BISHOP OF MAIGHIN, OR MOYNE, COUNTY OF MAYO.

    Colgan and the Bollandists have some notices of this saint, at the 4th day of March… There is no account, regarding the time, in which St. Mucna or Muckin, of Magin, in Tyrawly, lived. Although we find him classed, by Colgan, among St. Patrick’s disciples; still, there is not the least foundation for an assertion, that he was made bishop, by our Irish Apostle. This may be gleaned from all omission in the Tripartite—the only authority cited for this occasion—which only makes mention of Muckna, not as having been placed by St. Patrick, a bishop, over Domnach-mor church, in Tyrawly, but, rather as having been buried, in that place. It has been identified with Moyne, in the parish of Killala, barony of Tirawley, and county of Mayo. The foundation of a church is supposed to have been laid there, about A.D. 440, when the Apostle prosecuted his successful mission, in that western district. It seems, Colgan adopted an opinion, that Muckna ruled over this church as a bishop, but, without any sufficient foundation for referring it to St. Patrick’s time; and, then finding himself puzzled about the period when this supposed disciple lived, he threw out a conjecture, that such appointment took place, A.D. 470. He assigns as a reason for this conjecture, that the Tripartite seems to indicate, by the term “est,” that Muckna was alive, about the year 520; for, this has been very uncritically considered, as the period when the Tripartite Life had been written. Yet, nothing is more common in some of St. Patrick’s Lives than to use est for requiescit; so that, the meaning of the passage now quoted may be, that Mucna’s remains were at Domnach-mor; still, at what time they were deposited there, we have no means left for discovering. Apparently, for no more sufficient reason, than not to make Mucna live too long, Colgan affixed this appointment as bishop there, to the year 470, so that he might probably be living, about A.D. 520. An entry appears, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 4th of March, which thus reads: “Mucini Maighni.” Marianus O’Gorman, also, commemorates him. In the Manuscript of Florarius, we find an entry of Mokinus, Abbas, at the same date. According to the Martyrology of Donegal, we read, about Muicin, of Maighin, as having a festival on this day.

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  • Saint Mo-sacra, Abbot of Saggard, March 3

     

    The Irish calendars at March 3 commemorate Saint Sacer or Mo-sacra, abbot of Saggard, County Dublin. The Martyrology of Donegal records:

    3. F. QUINTO NONAS MARTII. 3.

    MOHSACCRA, Abbot, of Cluain-eidhneach in Laoighis, and of Tigh Sacra, in the vicinity of Tamlacht, and of Fionn-mhagh in Fotharta.

    O’Hanlon records what is known of him:

    This saint, variously named Sacer, Mo-Sacer, Mo-Sacra, Mothacra and Moacra, has his Acts given by Colgan, and more briefly still by the Bollandists. He was the son of Senan, son to Luachan, son of Roer, son to Loga Lethanglais, son of Conall Anglonn, son to Eochad, son of Fieg, son to Factna, son of Senchad, son to Olild, son of Maelcroc, son to Roderic, King of Ireland. He appears to have been called Sacer, from a Latin word, which expresses holiness of life, by which he had been distinguished; and, to this cognomen, the endearing term, Mo, was prefixed. However, Sacer not being a name in use amongst the ancient Irish, we must suppose it, as only secondary to a previous and more national one. This holy abbot appears to have flourished, before or about the middle of the seventh century, if we are to rely upon accounts, furnished by our Martyrologists, regarding his genealogy.

    He erected a monastery, afterwards called after him, Tegh-Sacra, or “the house of Sacer” and, over this foundation, he presided as abbot. The place is now known as Saggard, a small village, and the head of a parish, seven Irish miles S.W. from the Castle of Dublin. The site of Saggard’s ancient monastery and chapel is said to have been on a rise of the Dublin mountains, about one mile beyond the modern village. Saggard, at first bore the name of Tassagard. It is related, that Mo-Sacra also governed, for some time, Finn-magh monastery, at Fotharta, within the province of Leinster.

    [A parish at Tomhaggard, County Wexford, believes that its locality can be identified with Finn-magh:

    As is the case with many parishes and townlands, we find the name of Tomhaggard, as it is known to day, rendered in several forms in ancient charters and deeds. The earliest name of the place was probably “Fion-magh”, which name is mentioned in one or two old documents.

    The parish, however, derives its present title from Saint Mosacer, who succeeded St. Abban as Abbot of Camross and who, incidentally, was also patron of Saggart in Co. Dublin. Tomhaggard stems from the old spelling of ‘Tomhager’ which, in its uncorrupted form, meant “Tomb of St. Mosacer”. There is no extant tradition relating to the exact position of the burial-place of this saint in Tomhaggard. St. Mosacer died in 650 and the local patron day was on March 3rd.]

    Mo-Sacra assisted at a synod held, in the reign of Comgall, King of Ireland, about the year 695, and under the presidency of Flann, Archbishop of Armagh. At this council over forty bishops and abbots were present. Colgan had a copy of the Acts of that synod. Our saint is thought, also, to have been abbot, at Clonenagh ; but, it is more than probable, a Mosacra who had been abbot lived there, at a later period. He appears to have been confounded with our saint, in the Calendar of Cashel, which states, that Mo sacra lived, in the time of Neill Glandubh, King of Ireland. Mo-Sacra of Saggard must have died, however, during or before the reign of that monarch’s great-grandfather; since, he is mentioned, in the Festilogy of St. Oengus, which was written, after the year 792, or during Aedh Oirdnidhe’s reign. The festival of our saint was kept, on the 3rd of March, as appears from the Feilire of St. Oengus. His name is entered, at the same date, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, as Moshacra mac Senain of Tigh Thacra. The Calendars of Cashel, of Marianus O’Gorman and of Maguire have their relative notices regarding him. In the Martyrology of Donegal is set down on this day, Mohsaccra, Abbot, of Cluain-eidhneach or Clonenagh, in Laoighis, or Leix, and of Tigh-Sacra, or Saggart, in the vicinity of Tamhlacht, and of Fionn-mhagh in Fotharta. The Kalendar of Drummond, at the 3rd of March, notices the Natalis of Mo-Sacro and of Cele.
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  • Saints Slebhene and Suibhne of Iona, March 2

    There are no less than three abbots of Iona commemorated on March 2. Last year’s post looked at Saint Feargna Britt, now Canon O’Hanlon records the remaining pair, beginning with Saint Slebhene:

    St. Slebhene, or Slebhine, Abbot of Iona [Eighth Century]

    At this date, likewise, the Irish Church seems to have venerated another abbot of Iona. When or where he was born does not appear to have transpired; yet, we have sufficient proof, that he was of a well-known Irish race. The Martyrology of Donegal this day registers, Slebhene, son of Conghal. His father was Dubhduin, son to Slebhine, son of Seghine, son to Ronan or Cronan, son of Loam, who was the son of Fergus Cennfada or Duach, and of his wife, Erca, the daughter of Loam Mor. Thus was he in a right line descended from the race of Conall Gulban, son to Niall the Great. The holy man Slebhine seems to have lived under the discipline of Cilline Droicteach, who died abbot of Iona, on the 3rd of July, A.D. 752.

    The virtues and merits of Slebhine, no doubt, singled him out, among his brother monks, as worthy of succession. He was the fifteenth abbot of Ia, and soon after his accession, the death of Cillen, son of Congaile—probably his own brother—took place in Hy. During the period of Slebhine’s incumbency, the Columbian influence in Ireland seems to have been at its height, as may be concluded from the mention of the Lex Columcille having been enforced by Domhnall, King of Ireland, in A.D. 753, and also by Sleibene himself, A.D. 757. In the year 754, the Abbot of Iona visited Ireland; and, in the year 758, he returned thither. After the death of Fedhlimidh or Failbe, who discharged the duties of assistant abbot of Hy, Sleibne passed to the rewards of the just, A.D. 754, according to the Annals of Inisfallen. Those of the Four Masters, however, place his demise, at A.D. 762; while the Annals of Ulster have the year 766, and again, the Rev. William Reeves states, that he died, on the 2nd of March, A.D. 767, after an incumbency of fifteen years, over the celebrated monastery of Iona.

    St. Suibhne, Abbot of Iona. [Eighth Century]

    The pedigree of this holy man is not recorded; but, probably, he was born in Ireland, and of the Tirconnellian race. He seems to have discharged the duties of assistant abbot at Iona, during the lifetime of Slebhine, and in that capacity he visited Ireland, A.D. 765, or 766. On his death, the succeeding year, Suibhne succeeded to the full rule of the monastery, which only engaged his care for four years exactly, for he died, on the 2nd day of March, A.D. 772.

     

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